Remembrance
by qwasd
Summary: Harry Potter wakes up in a hospital as a muggle, with no memory of his life before a mysterious car accident. Everyone seems to know who he is except for himself, but Harry feels like he's meant for something more, like he left something important behind. When a new occupant enters his hospital room, they begin to piece his life together, and wonder if maybe he took a train...
1. Ch 1: Awakened

Harry Potter awoke to a blinding white light, reminiscent of a place he felt like he had just left, the memory of which was skittering away the more he blinked his eyes. He rubbed his slightly aching forehead and tried to sit up, looking around the room.

Currently, Harry was the only occupant of a stark white hospital room. There was another bed directly across from him, looking as if it had never been occupied. To his left were blinded windows, but he could see the glow of late-afternoon light streaming through the cracks in the shades. To his right was a nightstand that held a magazine, a glass of stagnant water, and a digital clock that read 18:15. The room was utterly silent, and Harry attempted to clear his throat just to make some noise, but all he managed was a strangled gasp.

Harry reached for the water, taking a gulp, and then immediately regretting the decision. Clearly the water had been there for a while, for it had acquired a thin film of dust on the surface. The taste brought back memories of drinking bedside water, which had only been there overnight, but still tasted stale and musty. Harry couldn't quite place where he was in the memories, but it felt dark.

Eventually, thirst got the better of him and Harry drank the water anyway, feeling better subsequently, even though the taste of an old attic remained in his mouth long afterward. Harry cleared his throat again and was satisfied that he was able to make a noise. Now that he was not focused on water, Harry's thoughts turned introspective.

He wondered if perhaps there was something wrong. That was probably to be assumed, given that he was in a hospital, but physically Harry felt fine. However, now that he was thinking, he was slowly realizing that he didn't actually know… anything. He knew that he was Harry James Potter. And he knew that he was in a hospital and he thought he knew how to add, which was all pretty basic information.

But Harry didn't know where he lived. He didn't know who his friends were. He didn't know where he had attended school, _if_ he had attended school. He didn't know who his parents were, or where they were.

Harry was slowly realizing that this was definitely not a good situation.

Thankfully, as Harry was coming to this frightening conclusion, the door opened and a blonde nurse walked in. She saw Harry sitting up and smiled widely.

"Harry! You're awake!" This was kind of stating the obvious, but Harry wasn't about to question anything she said at the moment. Her nametag was pinned to her shirt, reading 'Luna Lovegood,' and Harry was grateful that he still knew how to read.

"How do you feel?" Luna asked, and before waiting for an answer she began to poke at him, listening to his chest and thumping his knees with a metal instrument.

"Pretty good, I think." Harry replied, while Luna stuck a wooden stick down his throat and shined a light in his eyes. As she leaned over, a radish necklace fell out of her shirt and whacked him in the chin.

Luna smiled at him again, not seeming to notice her swinging necklace, "You seem well, considering everything." Harry looked at her.

"Considering what, exactly?" He asked. For some reason, he didn't want to give away just yet that he was utterly lost.

Luna eyed him, "Well, the accident, mostly. Your car was completely totaled, we didn't think you would make it for a while."

"Right… the accident," Harry nodded along.

Luna was a little sharper than she looked, because she said, "It's understandable that you don't remember, Harry. You've been out for about two weeks. It might take a couple days for the accident to completely register."

"Uh, yeah… I'm just a little foggy right now," Harry said, seeing an in, "Could you just explain to me what happened?" Luna smiled at him, barely looking up from her clipboard that had miraculously appeared, and that she was now filling out vigorously. Harry watched her as she meticulously filled out whatever it was she was supposed to be filling out, blonde hair waterfalling over her face. A strange sense of memory, if it could be called that, came over him as he watched her. Harry felt as though he had known her for a long time, but of course he did not. He supposed this was a normal reaction for someone who had just gone through what he had, but it was disconcerting.

Finally, Luna set down her clipboard. "Okay, here's what we know Harry." He tried not to look too eager at this glimpse into his recent past. "You were driving back to your apartment two weeks ago this Wednesday, when it looks like something caused you to swerve off the road. You hit the guardrail, but you were going about 95 kilometers and hour, and your car rolled a few times. You're lucky to be alive, honestly. We did some scans, but couldn't really be sure why you were in a coma. It seemed like everything was fine. And actually, I'm surprised you're so alert right now."

Harry realized while she was talking that he didn't know how to drive. He also realized that he had almost died, a fact that should have probably troubled him a lot more than it did. He had a kind of 'been there, done that' feeling at the moment, but he wasn't sure why, because he was 17 and really, how often could he have had near death experiences?

Luna wasn't finished, however. "I'm just going to need to ask you a few questions, just to see how much of your memory is affected. Don't worry if you don't know the answers, it's normal to be a little confused after such an accident." She looked down at her clipboard again. "Okay, what's your full name?"

"Harry James Potter." And he hoped that would be the extent of the questions.

"Where were you born?"

Harry paused, not knowing the answer. "Uh… Godric's Hollow?" He wasn't sure where his answer had come from, but it felt right.

Apparently, it was not the correct answer, because Luna hummed and made a note. "Parent's names?"

Again, Harry thought until something deep within him told him the answer was correct, "Lily and James Potter."

Luna smiled this time, and Harry breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe his memory wasn't too far gone. "Where do you attend school?"

A name popped up at the question as soon as she asked, but Harry knew that it couldn't be right. "Uh, Hogwarts?" In his head, he knew it had to be wrong, but his heart felt a twang of remembrance when he said the word out loud.

However, Luna once again shook her head, a slight frown crossing her face. "And can you name a professor there? Any one is fine." This Harry could not do, so he just shook his head. After that, the session went downhill, with Harry finding he could not answer any more of her questions. He didn't know what his favorite class was, and he didn't know who the prime minister was, and really, he didn't know much of anything.

The worst part of the whole thing was that the two wrong answers he _had_ given had felt the most right when he had said them. After Luna left, muttering to herself while promising to bring him something hot to eat, Harry spent a lot of time looking at the ceiling, repeating the words to himself over and over again.

Hogwarts. Godric's Hollow. Hogwarts. Godric's Hollow. Hogwarts. Godric's Hollow.

He just wished that he knew what the words meant, and why they felt so familiar to him.

* * *

(A/N) Hey! So, this is a story I've had in my head for a while, and just wanted to get the first bit out there. I'm not sure how long it will be, or how frequently I'll be updating, but I definitely have a vague plan of where it is going! Just an FYI, there will be eventual slash in this story, so that's a warning for everyone right now. I'd really appreciate some feedback, since this is an unbeta'd first cut edition! (Lucky you guys)


	2. Ch 2: Meetings and Memories

The next morning, Harry had barely finished his breakfast of lumpy eggs and soggy bacon when Luna came into the room, looking determined.

"How are you feeling today, Harry? Do you remember anything?" Harry didn't, and shook his head to signify so. Luna didn't look too worried, but at this point, Harry wondered if anything really upset her.

"Actually, I was wondering when I'd be able to leave?" He'd been feeling a little restless, even though he'd only been awake for a day. Harry didn't want to spend his time in a hospital bed when there were other things to do… he wasn't really sure what, but he felt like he had a job, or something.

"It seems like you're doing really well, physically." She started, and Harry silently agreed: besides his sometimes-aching head, he felt fine. "We'd like you to remain in bed rest for at least another day, however, just to make sure." Harry sighed inwardly; he didn't enjoy being confined to a bed like this.

Luna continued, "Like I said before, it might take some time before you completely regain your memories, and that's fine. But, there are definitely steps that we can take to help you along."

Harry looked up at her, interested. "Like what?" He asked, hoping it wouldn't be painful.

"Well, your friends have been a bit worried about you these past two weeks, and although we've informed you of your improved condition, they understandably want to see you for themselves. I've told them that you probably won't recognize them, but there is a possibility that seeing someone familiar might jog your memory." Luna smiled at him, and Harry smiled back. Some company _would_ be nice. Luna was great and all, but she was his doctor, and it would be good to see his friends (apparently he had friends, which was comforting).

Suddenly, a disconcerting thought popped into Harry's head. "What about my parents? When will they come?" But even as he asked it, and before he saw Luna's face fall, Harry knew that they wouldn't be coming, that he hadn't ever really known his parents.

"Harry," Luna started, sadly, "your parents died when you were very young. In a car accident, if I'm not mistaken." Harry nodded at her, looking away. The words sounded familiar to him, and he knew she was telling the truth.

Before the awkward silence filled too much of the room, Harry asked, "So, when are my friends going to get here?" Luna looked relieved at the change of subject.

"Actually, they're here now." She smiled at him. "They were so excited to hear that you're awake, and they insisted on coming today. I've let them know that they can only stay for a little while, but they can come in whenever you're ready."

Harry looked down at his hands, thoughtful. Was he ready to face his friends, whom he had no recollection of? He'd been conscious for less than 24 hours, was this really a good idea? Harry wanted to see (meet) his friends. He wanted to see the people who had apparently been so eager to visit him that they'd come to the hospital as soon as they could. But what if he disappointed them when he didn't recognize them. He didn't want to hurt his friends. Still, they had been warned. Maybe Luna was right and seeing them would help his memory.

Harry turned back to Luna. "I'm ready now." Luna nodded and headed over to the door, opening it. Harry could hear her saying words, but couldn't make them out. A few seconds passed and two people entered the room: a woman with curly, brown hair and a tall, red haired man. The woman was carrying a vase of flowers and set them by his bedside table before pulling up a chair, with the man following suit.

Harry looked at both of them, and knew that he knew them. He felt a little relieved, because at some point there had been a Harry who was definitely friends with them. Still, this Harry didn't know their names, and was slightly disappointed.

A few moments of silence passed before the woman started. "Hi, Harry." She said, a little nervously. Before Harry could come up with an appropriate response (he didn't think, "Hey…you" would work), she continued. "Your nurse told us that you might not remember very much right now, so I'm Hermione, and this is Ron."

Even though he knew they were already friends, Harry immediately liked Hermione; grateful for the information she'd given him. "Thanks, Hermione." And saying her name out loud did bring back a rush of feelings: of warmth and laughter but also of pain and worry. Harry frowned, trying to hold onto the memories that were already retreating behind an invisible wall.

Hermione noticed his pause, "Are you okay? We can go if this is too much for you. I did some research on traumatic brain injuries and – " but Ron cut her off.

"Alright, Hermione, I don't think Harry needs that right now." The words were harsh, but Ron was half-smiling. "How're you doing, mate? We've really missed you. Hermione's been talking my ear off about this kind of treatment and that kind of medicine and I'm just glad you're awake so she'll stop." Hermione elbowed him, but she was smiling now as well.

"I'm doing well, actually. My memory is basically shite right now, but other than that… I feel fine." Ron and Hermione tried to hide the evident relief on their faces, but Harry could tell they were pleased to hear that he was okay – other than the obvious.

"So, Ron," and again, Harry was washed with feelings of family and anger and true happiness, and again, the memories were gone as soon as they appeared. Harry restarted, "So tell me what I've missed."

"Not a lot, actually." Ron said, "Some celebrity got caught doing drugs, some other celebrity died… Not much in the political world – that's more your area than mine. But the football season has been pretty great. I've recorded all the games, so when you're better we can watch them!"

"Sounds good to me." Harry smiled. He felt contented, like nothing had changed between him and his friends, when in reality, everything had. Even though he couldn't remember who there were, exactly, he could feel himself falling into the rhythms of conversation. Before much of anything else could be said, however, the door reopened.

"Okay, time's up, everyone. Harry needs his rest, but you can come back tomorrow." Luna said, cheerfully.

"Alright, Harry, we'll see you as soon as we can!" Hermione said, and Ron agreed, "Glad you're feeling better, mate." They left the room, chatting happily.

Luna moved forward before Harry had much time to think over their visit.

"So, did you remember anything after seeing your friends?" She asked, and Harry noticed the hopeful look in her eyes.

Harry didn't want to disappoint her entirely, so he said, "A little." And Luna did look pleased to hear that.

"Can you go into a bit more detail? I just want to know what kind of memories you're getting." She asked, clipboard out and pen in hand.

"Uh, just feelings mostly. It's hard to describe… I know that my memories are there, but it's like there's a wall stopping me from getting to them. Sometimes, though, when I see something or say something that must be familiar to me, I get these feelings. Like when I said Hermione, I felt happy but also kind of scared." Harry felt a little silly for saying all of that out loud, but he hoped that Luna could work off what he'd told her. Maybe there was some kind of treatment for that.

Luna finished jotting down her notes and then said, "Harry, this is actually really good. I think with some time, you'll definitely get your memories back. This wall that you're talking about is actually pretty common to patients such as yourself. It won't happen fast, but with some work, you'll start to overcome the wall." Luna started walking to the door, when she turned back. "Oh, and by the way, I'm afraid now that you're awake and feeling better, we're going to have to move another patient into this room as well. Our hospital is a bit crowded." Then she left, before Harry could make any sounds of protest.

Well, a roommate couldn't be that bad, could it? After all, whoever it was could provide him with some entertainment.

A few hours passed by, which Harry spent staring at the ceiling, unsuccessfully trying to find ways to climb over his subconscious wall. When his digital clock read 14:35, there was a knock on his door, and it opened. Two nurses wheeled in a hospital bed, but Harry could not make out the figure that was lying upon it. He watched in interest as the nurses set up various machines and arranged the bed so that it sat to his right. They murmured a few words, either to themselves or the bed's occupant Harry couldn't tell, and then left.

Harry adjusted himself so that he could see the bed more clearly. A blond head raised itself up and a seemingly familiar voice drawled, "Hello, it looks like we're going to be roommates."

For some unknown reason, Harry was immediately pissed off.

* * *

(A/N) So there it is! Chapter 2, and we have met someone very important ;). I'd love it if you left me a review, tell me what you like, what you don't like, and what you think is going to happen next! What will happen when Harry finally breaks the wall? Why does he remember Hogwarts? Who is this weird blonde fellow? (I'm sure you already know that one).


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